Unexpected, Glorious, Savior
by verseseven
Summary: An imprinting story, from the POV of the imprintee. What's it like to one day find someone totally obsessed with you? Paul Lahote AU
1. Chapter 1

In a small school, where everyone knew everyone, I managed to be invisible. Okay, not _literally_, but every day it was my goal to not be noticed. And generally I succeeded. I was introverted and shy. There were less than fifty students in our high school, so it was difficult to blend into the crowd when there really wasn't one. In my junior class, pretty much everyone was friends or at least _friendly _with everyone. There were still cliques, though. The rich kids, the athletes, the smart kids, the rebels. And there were bitches and bullies. I avoided those kids.

I didn't really fit any labels. I had my friends and I made decent grades. I still had never gone on a date and didn't expect to have a boyfriend until I left the reservation. None of the guys ever looked twice at me. And I didn't really check out any of them, either. We'd all known each other since kindergarten and I knew them far too well to form a crush on any of them.

My older sisters and brothers had all moved away as soon as they graduated high school. I was the youngest in the family and it had been just my mom and me since my father died. We'd received a huge payout from his life insurance and I thought that maybe we'd move since we could finally afford it, but instead my mom quit her job and started drinking all the time. She provided food and clothes and whatever I needed, but I rarely saw her. If she wasn't at home sleeping, she was at a bar.

There were no secrets in La Push and everyone knew my mother was a drunk. But, lots of people struggled with alcoholism on the reservation. It didn't make it any less embarrassing though and the shame of it was why I didn't want anyone to notice me.

Life was fairly uneventful and routine. I didn't know what I would do after graduation, I was just trying to take it day by day.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a Friday night and that meant most of the teenagers were at the beach, having a bonfire. Drinking and hooking up was what everyone did on the weekends since there was nothing else to do. I didn't drink alcohol because I didn't want to turn into a drunk like my mom, and I didn't hook up with random guys because I was brainwashed with the notion of having a soul mate and wanting to wait until he found me. Silly, I know. I read too many romance novels.

It didn't happen often, but Mom was having a party at the house and I didn't want to be around her when she was drunk, so that left me on my own. It was too late to find a friend to spend the night with, so I wandered around town, walking in the rain.

My eyes widened. Paul and a senior girl were in a truck on the side of the road and it looked they were having sex. I tried not to judge people, but Paul was a manwhore with….a temper. He looked out the window and sneered. I blushed and ran into the woods to escape, hoping he hadn't seen me.


	3. Chapter 3

Jared Cameron was sick for two weeks and when he came back to school he looked different. He grew several inches, his muscles, and he was just different. All the girls were swooning over him, but it was like he suddenly became obsessed with Kim Conweller and they became inseperable. He ditched his friends and sat with her and her friends at lunch. Always outgoing and popular, he was now quiet at school and seemed to be on edge.

Paul's temper seemed to be getting worse. In English, the teacher mildly criticized him in front of the class and he threw his book through a window. He was gone for two weeks after that. We figured he was suspended, but then I heard he was sick.


	4. Chapter 4

Another Friday night, another night of walking aimlessly around town avoiding the party at my house. My mother didn't even notice when I left. She and her friends were too busy doing vodka shots.

As I walked towards the beach, I saw Sam Uley, Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote. I hadn't realized they were all friends. They were walking in the rain with their shirts off, barefoot and wearing cut off jeans like it was completely normal to do so.

Sam gave me a polite nod, as I passed by the group. Jared and Paul ignored me. Something was definitely different about these guys. Other than the color of their skin and hair, they didn't look like any others on the reservation. They looked twice the size of NFL linebackers, except taller. There were rumors around school that they were on steroids…maybe other drugs.

I glanced over my shoulder to get a second look at the guys and immediately locked eyes with Paul who was also looking over his shoulder at me. His gaze was intense and it gave me chills. I wasn't scared, but I felt _something_.


	5. Chapter 5

When I returned home, the party was still in full swing, so instead of dealing with drunks, I went to our storage shed in the backyard. It was packed with random bits of furniture and boxes of keepsakes and I had to do some rearranging before I was able to clear off a small space on an old sofa to sleep on. It was cold and uncomfortable, but better than being around loud, obnoxious people. Peace and quiet was something I highly valued.

Not too long after I settled in, there was a knock on the shed door. Silently I groaned. Had my mom or one of her friends seen me come out here? I didn't want to be bothered by them, so I ignored it. Then, the door opened.

"Elizabeth?" a male whispered in the darkness. I peeked through the piles of boxes in front of me to see who it was.

Paul Lahote?

"Why are you in here?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same question."

I was so embarrassed, and brushed past him to the outside. He followed.

"There's a party," I mumbled, nodding towards the house. "Didn't feel like dealing with it."

Paul looked angry and started breathing heavily.

"Um, can I help you with something?" I asked and he seemed to calm down at the sound of my voice.

He grabbed my hand. "Let's go," he demanded, with authority.

I was disoriented and before I knew it we were in his truck, driving down the road.

Was he kidnapping me or something? The way his hands gripped the steering wheel freaked me out a little. I briefly thought about making a run for it, opening the car door and tumbling out. I could hide in the woods. I knew them pretty well.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"To Sam's house."

"Sam Uley? Why?"

"He has a guest bedroom. You can sleep there."

Was he on drugs? I wasn't going to sleep at a stranger's house! Much less intrude like that. It was a small town and we knew everyone, but still…we weren't friends or anything.

I sighed and shook my head. Paul was making such a big deal about this. "I can go home. It's not a big deal. The party is probably over anyway…."

Paul opened the car door for me, like a gentleman, which was shocking, and grabbed my hand again. It was warm and rough and fit like a glove. The house was dark, but unlocked and Paul turned on the lights in the living room, then dropped my hand and walked out on the porch.

"The room is on the left, by the bathroom. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I watched as he disappeared into the woods, my mouth open in shock.

I couldn't just go into a stranger's house and sleep in their bed! It made me feel like goldilocks. Or something.

The room was clean. There was a bed, dresser, side table with a lamp. I glanced at books on the dresser and saw Paul's name. Was this _his _room? Was he living with Sam?

I collapsed on the bed, feeling overwhelmed and confused. I decided to just take a nap until Sam got home, then I would apologize for myself and for Paul being so weird, and then walk home.

I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thank you for your reviews! This story won't be epic, I just wanted to add some Paul to fandom! :)

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I woke up to the sound of someone snoring. Paul was sprawled out on the floor, next to the bed. He was so large and the room was so small that he took up almost all of the free space. It looked uncomfortable, sleeping like that, but he had a smile on his face.

It was weird, being in a stranger's house, in a stranger's bed, but I had slept really well. The bed was really comfortable and I had slept like a rock. As I wiped my eyes, I shook my head in disbelief that I had so willingly followed Paul. I let him help me and I barely knew him and that freaked me out. Maybe all the weekends of wandering aimlessly, trying to avoid my mom's partying, was starting to affect me more than I realized.

Not wanting to wake up Paul, I did some acrobatic footwork to make it to the bedroom door without stepping on him. The house was quiet and I tip toed down the hallway and out the front door without having to interact with anyone. I wondered if Paul had ever told Sam I was spending the night in his house?

It was a long walk to my house and when I walked it was clear the party was over. There were bottles and trash all over the living room, but not any people. My mom's bedroom door was closed, so I figured she was sleeping off a hangover.

I ate a bowl of cereal, cleaned up the mess in the living room and took a shower. Hours later, as I was watching a movie on tv, I heard a creak in the floor. I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to see a man leaving my mom's bedroom.

Since my dad died, my mother hadn't had any boyfriends. At least none that I knew about. I wanted her to be happy, but all she seemed interested in the past couple years was drinking. This guy creeped me out though, I didn't like the way he was looking at me. Thankfully, he just winked at me and left the house without saying a word.

As I left the house to walk to school on Monday, Paul was waiting for me outside. I was suddenly overwhelmed. I was embarrassed that I had needed his help. I hoped he wouldn't say anything or tell anyone and just pretend it never happened. And I was surprised to see him. He barely knew I existed before Friday night.

"Can I walk with you to school?" he greeted me.

I shrugged and kept walking, ignoring him. It was a free country.

Neither of us talked on the way to school and I wondered why he wasn't driving his truck. Classes were uneventful, but I could swear that Paul was staring at me all day. We shared a few classes and he managed to sit by me in every one. At lunch, he sat with Jared and Kim, but watched me like a hawk. What did I do? Did he feel sorry for me?

Trying to ignore Paul, I focused on talking to my friends. Malachi, one of the friendliest guys in our class, approached our lunch table to tell our group about the upcoming homecoming dance. As he was talking, he casually put his hand on my shoulder, and I glanced up to laugh at his joke. Before I realized it, Paul was at the table, hovering over Malachi and glaring at him.

Was Paul going to beat him up?

Malachi stuttered and started backing away. I didn't want to be a coward, but I also didn't want to get caught in any drama, so I quickly made an escape to the library. To my surprise Paul immediately followed me.

"Want to hang out tonight?" He leaned over and I could swear he was sniffing me. Did I stink?

"Uh…." In my awkwardness, I couldn't even answer. I just turned around and disappeared into the girls' restroom.

I didn't see Paul the rest of the school day, but I kept repeating his request in my mind. He wanted to hang out with me? Why? Paul Lahote didn't hang out with girls. He broke their hearts, that's what he did. There was a string of girls who he had been with and when he got what he wanted, he dumped them.

The last girl I had seen him with was weeks ago, but he was having sex with her in his truck. Oh my goodness. Is that what he was trying to do with me? I rolled my eyes in disgust. I was glad I figured it out so quickly. Next time he tried to talk to me, I would let him know his charm wasn't going to work with me.


End file.
